This invention relates to the field of kitty litter boxes for cats or other house trained pets, which contain cat litter or other absorbent material for eventual disposal. In particular, this invention relates to those boxes for such use which are themselves made in a way that they are disposed of along with the material therein.
Prior art kitty litter type boxes known to the inventor include those disclosed in the following United States patents.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,884,526 issued to the present inventor discloses a disposable kitty litter box and bag combination, in which a disposable box is placed within a disposable bag folded along the outer sides of the box. The bag is unfolded when ready to dispose of the contents which completely encloses the box and kitty litter material within the disposable bag and the bag is then tied shut.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,646,685 discloses a unit which requires assembling a box out of a flat sheet of box-forming material. Even though when assembled the corners of the box overlap, it appears that cracks and openings will still exist through which liquids can seep. In the present invention, the box is made by the manufacturer with side walls having integrally joined corners, or otherwise made so as to eliminate openings and cracks through which liquids can seep. No assembly of the box is needed by the purchaser of the kitty litter box and bag combination in accordance with the present invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,541,360 discloses a disposable animal litter box but without any bag of liquid impermeable material in which to enclose the box when ready for disposal. A previous torn away perforated strip is all that is used to cover the used litter, merely replacing it in the opening of the box from which it was originally torn away.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,305,544 discloses a flat sheet of material such as cardboard with score lines, tabs and slots whereby a cat litter box can be assembled for use and eventually discarded.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,271,787 discloses a plurality of litter boxes housed in stacked relationship within a separate box which the purchaser has to assemble. When the litter in the top one of the stacked boxes has been used and ready to dispose of, that one is thrown out and the cover on the box below is torn off to expose the litter therein for use. A separate carrying case is provided for the entire assembly.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,886,901 discloses an originally sealed box having a separate bag of cat litter therein, the sides of the original box being foldable outwardly when the tearstrip is torn away thereby providing the box in which the litter is poured for use by the cats.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,684,155 discloses a book-fold type of receptacle and a flexible sheet liner is placed within this receptacle with portions of the edges of the flexible sheet liner gripped in serrated slots formed in the side walls of the receptacle. When a flexible sheet bag or liner is placed within the litter box, it quickly becomes torn from the cats' scratching.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,227,137 discloses a flexible sheet bag of thermoplastic material such as polyethylene placed within a cat litter box. As pointed out above, such material is readily torn by cats using the box and then scratching the bottom.
The disposable kitty litter box in accordance with the present invention is an improvement over those of the prior art in a number of respects. It provides a box having a peripheral wall which is substantially solid and imperforate around at least the lower half wherein any liquid materials are going to settle. Yet the box is foldable between an open position for use, and a closed position when ready for disposal.
The present invention comprises a disposable kitty litter box made of cardboard, plastic or other disposable material which folds out to provide a tray for holding kitty litter and for use as a kitty litter box by one or more cats, and which folds up into a closed box after it has been fully used with the used kitty litter contents inside for disposal of such contents along with the folded-up box itself.
The foldable box in accordance with this invention comprises an elongated rectangular container when unfolded having a solid bottom wall, a pair of solid end walls except for handle receiving apertures extending upright at each opposite end, and a pair of side walls extending upright along each opposite side which are also solid except for a diagonal slit which extends from about the mid-point of each side wall upwardly at about a forty-five degree angle to terminate at the upper edge of each respective side wall.
Score lines on which to fold and unfold portions of each side wall are provided in relationship to the diagonal slit as follows. A first score line extends axially from the diagonal slit to intersect the bottom edge of each side wall at about a forty-five degree angle. A second score line extends normal to the diagonal slit axially aligned with the first score line. It intersects that inward point of each side wall at which the diagonal slot begins, extending diagonally across each side wall to intersect the upper edge at about a forty-five degree angle and the bottom edge at about a forty-five degree angle. A third score line extends vertically in a direction substantially normal to both the upper edge and bottom edge across each respective side wall from the point where the diagonal slit intersects the upper edge to the point where the second score line intersects the bottom edge. A fourth score line extends vertically in a direction substantially normal to both the upper edge and bottom edge across each respective side wall from the point where the second score line intersects the upper edge to the point where the first score line intersects the bottom edge.
A fifth score line is provided across the bottom wall between the points where the second score line of each side wall intersects the bottom edge and in a direction normal to each side wall. A sixth score line is provided across the bottom wall between the points where the first score line of each side wall intersects the bottom edge and in a direction normal to each side wall.
The portions of each side wall between the third and fourth vertically extending score lines of each side wall are weakened along the first, second, third and fourth score lines to fold inwardly towards the cavity of the box when flexed. The bottom wall is weakened along the fifth and sixth score lines to enable the portions of the box outwardly from each of the fifth and sixth score lines to fold upwardly from such score lines in an arcuate path to bring such two outward portions together for one to be received in the other thereby forming a closed box.
Such folding of the two outward portions in an arcuate path toward each other along the fifth and sixth score lines causes the portions of each side wall between the third and fourth score lines to flex and fold inwardly, to be completely enclosed within the cavity of the box when one of the outward portions of the box is fully received within the other.
The portion of the bottom wall between the fifth and sixth score lines then becomes one of the end walls of the box when folded to its closed position. At such time the end wall of the outward portion which is received in the other outward portion is adjacent to and inward of the end wall of such other outward portion.
The distance the fifth and sixth score lines across the bottom wall are spaced apart corresponds to the upright or vertical dimension of the end walls of the outward portions, so when the box is folded to its closed position that portion of the bottom wall which becomes an end wall of the closed box is substantially the same height, or the same vertical or upright dimension, as the end walls of the outward portions.
The diagonal slits in each wall start inwardly thereof at a point spaced apart from the exact mid-point of each side wall in the direction toward the end wall of the outward portion which is to be received in the other outward portion when folded into the closed box position, and the distance it is spaced apart in such direction from the exact mid-point corresponds to the thickness of the end walls of the outward portions. Such inward starting point of each diagonal slit of each side wall becomes the pivot point on which the outward portions are folded toward each other in an arcuate path. It has to be closer to the end wall of one of the outward portions by the thickness of the end walls to enable one end wall to close inwardly of and adjacent to the other without having to force one into the other by distorting and bending the side and end walls to accomplish that objective. The fifth and sixth score lines are also closer to the end wall of the outward portion which is to be received in the other outward portion by the same distance as the pivot points are spaced apart in such direction from the exact mid-point.
When the box is folded to its closed position with the end walls of both outward portions adjacent each other, in one outside of the other relationship, a movable handle on the inner one can be gripped and drawn through a slot in the end wall of the outer outward portion which thus locks the folded box in its closed position and serves as a carrying handle to carry the closed box and used contents inside to a disposal receptacle.